Automatic radio receiver apparatus



July 14, 1942.. R. H. FISHE R 2,289,417

AUTOMATIC RADIO RECEIVER APPARATUS Filed Feb. 6, 1940 A 2 Sheets-Sheet 1IN VENT OR Patented July 14, 1942 UNHTED STATES PATENT OFFICE AUTOMATICRADIO RECEIVER APPARATUS Robert H. Fisher, New York, N. Y. ApplicationFebruary 6, 1940, Serial No. 317,506

3 Claims.

My invention relates to a new and useful improvement in radio andtelevision receivers.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide a means toautomatically cover or uncover the loud speaker of a radio receiver, sothat said speaker may be placed in a conventional piece of furniture,fixture, wall or clock, or even in the floor, and yet be covered so thatthe speaker opening is not exposed to View.

Another object is to provide a means to automatically cover and/oruncover the television screen of a television receiver so that thescreen is not ordinarily exposed to View and the enclosures will have,in all respects, their natural appearance as a piece of furniture, etc,but when I the radio or television is turned on and the radiotelevisoror speaker begins to function, the concealing element or cover to thespeaker or televisor is automatically removed or withdrawn, andreversely when the radio is turned oif, the concealing or coveringelement is restored.

The concealing or covering element may be louvers, shutters, or a hingedsliding or roll .panel or top, etc. Whichever type is used would makevery little difference, as the important feature essential to myinvention is the machine that automatically operates these covers.

One of the preferred forms is to place the radio and television receiver'in a console that would harmonize with the rest of the living roomfurniture, without having those parts that would identify it as a radioexposed to view, but at the same time, by the means I provide it wouldautomatically be adjusted to give full service as any other radio in aconventional radio or television console without .covers r concealingelements.

Consoles have long been the most popular cabinets for fine radio setssince they are better suited to accommodate all the equipment requiredto render a reception of high fidelity. However, when large consoles areemployed, care must be taken in their design to avoid lack of harmonyamong otherwise harmonious furniture and settings. In some cabinets,provision has been made to hide the dials and gadgets by providing adoor or screens that could be opened or closed. Some of these designsresult in very ingenious schemes and very beautiful pieces of furniturethat can be placed in a room to somewhat eliminate the objection notedabove, but even then we still find the inconvenience of manipulation.Recourse has been made to consoles in the form of end tables so thecontrols can be manipulated by the person sitting in a chair next to theradio,

rendition of the speaker cannot go directly to the listener, but isreflected from other parts of the room, .and with the advent oftelevision where a part of the program is visual, it is all importantthat consideration be given the placement of the set.

The appropriate place to put a radio to satisfy the above requirementsand to lend artistic arrangement to the furniture is not usually theconvenient place to have it for manipulation, and therein lies the needfor a remotely controlled radio. But if it is necessary to cover anduncover the speaker opening, manually, the advantage of a remote controlis partly, at least, discounted.

My invention provides the means to eliminate the above difiiculty byproviding a means to automatically uncover the radios speaker and/ ortelevision opening, whenever a broadcast is being rendered, and to coverthe same opening when the broad-cast has finished.

One use of my invention would apply where the tuner was located in aconvenient place for manipulating the controls, and the speaker and/ortelevisor located in a better part of the room to more satisfactorilyrender the broadcast. Where remote control is employed, there would ofcourse, be no objection to having the tuner in the same cabinet as therest of the equipment. Where the radio receiver is provided with atiming device to automatically preselect the radio but this also has itsbad feature, because the program, a very convenient and artisticarrangement of the rooms furniture may be had by the arrangement hereinshown and explained.

However, numerous other applications suggest themselves, and therefore Ido not contemplate being limited to the specific use herein shown, noronly to consoles, but to all applications where my invention isadaptable, or even as an adjunct to remote control.

Figure 1 is a perspective view illustrating the possible arrangements ofthe elements in a system of remote control and preselection of radiovmounted on frame 22.

automatic operating mechanism, illustrating how the panel of the cabinetFig. 2, is opened and closed.

Figures to 8, inclusive, are diagrammatic sectional views of variousmodified forms of the device.

Figure 9 is the circuit diagram for the control of the mechanism shownin Figure 4.

The similar numbers refer to similar parts throughout the drawings.

Referring to Figure 1 which illustrates the possible arrangement of anoperating element of a remote and preselected automatic control systemof radio, the fireplace 3|, is shown with two openings, 32 and 33, inwhich the radio and television receiving units could be placedsuggesting the need and use of an automatic opening and closing deviceto open .and close-said openmg.

The clock, 3:1, on the mantel is a timing device for the preselection ofradio stations, through a remote control in cabinet it. Push button bank37, on end table 33, and push buttons 43, on table i hare. employed tooperate the remote control.

The entire radio receiver with its remote control mechanism is housed inthe cabinet at. Front panel or cover, ii is, arranged to swing upwardlyor downwardly on hinges-4 to cover or uncover speaker grill 5 in theopening 6, the

switch 1, and radio dials 8 and 9, asshown in Figure 2. In Figure 3, theradio and television units may be mounted in the openings 89 and 53.

Figure 4 shows a mechanism operated by a non-reversible alternatingcurrent motor 2!, all

The mechanism comprises a train of reduction gears terminating with acrank pin H] on gear. 29, connected by a link .I to cover 4i. There isalso provided on gear 29, and rotated by it, an insulated segment 13 forengaging and opening the normally closed contacts H, 12, soas to limitthe movement of the coverby opening the, motorcircuit. The controllingswitch It is merely arelay having bottom contact No and top contact libon a common armature Mat and so arranged that the top contact lib isclosed bythe armature when the relay is energized by thepower from theremote control, radio, or television receivers, when same are turned on.When relay is deenergized the armature I ia drops by gravity closingcontact Ito.

Figure 5 illustrates the cover 4! held in place by the latching device155 on armature 15a of relay l5 engaging a catch 450 on cover "2| Saidcover is closed manually or by other means not shown, but it is openedby the weight of the cover or additional weight 15c provided when latch[51) is disengaged from catch 550, by the energization of relay I5.

In Figure 6, manual or other means are used to open the cover, and theweight 16] connected to the flexible cable I60 which passes over thepulley Nib is utilized to close, said cover. The weight 18 isautomatically released by a latch ing device 16a on armature of relayl6.

Figures '7 and 8 illustraterespectively the same operations as Figures 5and 6, in that a potential energy device is used to either ,open orclose the cover, buts-uch device in Figures 7 and 8,.depends.

upon the energy stored in a spring, instead of in a weight.

Having thusdescribed ,the parts, I will now describe the several formsof operation of the devices.

. radio.

Referring to Figure 4, relay 14 is assumed to be controlled from thesame circuit that controls the source of power of the radio. Therefore,by turning on the radio and energizing its circuit, either by remotecontrol or manually, switch I4 is also energized to attract armature[4a. The armature is connected to the line conductor L2 of any suitablesource of current. The current from this source passes through thearmature I la to contact Mb, and from thence to contacts l2, to motorcoil 20 and back to the other side Ll of the line. This causes motor torotate, in turn rotating the train of reduction gears 25, 21 and 29 andpinions 26 and 28 connected to the {pinion 2 of armature 23, and therebytransmits a rotating power to crank pin H3, which is connected to link Ithat extends through the slot 2 and is joined to hinge 3 on cover 4|.Cover 41 is thereby pulled upwardly and inwardly closingspeaker opening5. When insulated member 53 on gear 29 passes between and opens thenormally closed contacts. l2, themotor circuit is thereby opened andfurther movement of the cover stopped.

When the source of current to relay it is interrupted by the turning offof the remote control or radio, and relay M becomes deenergized,armature I la drops by gravity, thus closing the circuit from the lineL2 to the armature, through contacts Hi0 and IE to motor coil 29 andback to the other line Ll. This causes motor to 1'0- tate and, by thetrain of gears above described, said motor rotates crank pin it! on gear29 in a clockwise direction with the result that the cover 4! is movedtoward its closing position. When insulated section 13 engages betweencontacts H to break the circuit just described, the motor istherebystopped and further closing movement of cover 4| is arrested.

Figure 5 is a diagrammatic view of a means by which cover M is opened bygravity, It is assumed that relay I5 is connected to the same source ofpower asthe radio and is energized when the radio is t rned on. Thisraises armature 55a which unl-atcheslatch [5b, releasing catch I50 andthe weight of the cover causes the cover to be opened by gravity. Thedevice in Figure 6 is similar except that it is energized when the radiois turned off, disengaging the latch. lfib of armature ifia whichpermits the weight to close the cover by gravity.

-In .Figure 7, it is assumed that relay [1 is connected to the samesource of current as the radio and is energized by the turning on of theThis disengages latch i'la from spring device lib. The cover t! is, asshown, connected at lie to a flexible cablel'ic which is joined to therotatable spring device "llb similar to a coil spring-used as the mainspring of a watch, so that when latch- Ila is disengaged by theenergizationof relay I? through the power from the radio, the cover M israised upwardly and inwardly to cover the speaker opening.

. to be moved outwardly and downwardly by the spring 18c.

In each of the forms shown in Figures 5 and 8, I5d, Hid, Nd and I8d aremerely hinges of cover 4 l.

I.claim:

1. In apparatus of the class described, an enclosure for a radioreceiving set or the like, a cover member for said enclosure movable toopen and closed positions, a switching means for controlling theoperation of said set, an operating element for said cover member,driving means for said operating element, means including a prime moverand an electrical circuit for operating said driving means, and anelectromagnetic device in said circuit responsive to the operation ofsaid switching means for closing said circuit to energize said drivingmeans.

2. In apparatus of the class described, an enclosure for a radioreceiving set or the like, a cover member for said enclosure movable toopen and closed position, a switching means for controlling theoperation of said set, an operating element for said cover member,driving means for said operating element, means including a prime moverand an electrical circuit for operating said driving means, anelectromagnetic device in said circuit responsive to the operation ofsaid switching means for closing said circuit to energize said drivingmeans, and an interrupter for said circuit forming a part of saiddriving means and operable to limit the movement of said cover member.

:3. In apparatus of the class described, an enclosure for a radioreceiving set or the like, a cover member for said enclosure movable toopen and closed positions, a switching means for controlling theoperation of said set, an operating element for said cover member,driving means for said operating element, means including a prime moverand an electrical circuit for operating said driving means, anelectromagnetic device in said circuit responsive to the operation ofsaid switching means for closing said circuit to energize said drivingmeans so that the latter will move said .cover member to open and closedpositions, and an interrupter for said circuit controlled by saiddriving means to limit the movements of said cover member to either ofsaid positions.

ROBERT H. FISHER.

